What To Expect From A Good Speech Language Pathologist

Written By: Elissa Murnick M.S. CCC-SLP Certified Speech Language Pathologist, Director Murnick Speech & Language Associates

Once the decision is made to start seeing a Certified, Licensed Speech Pathologist for regular treatment sessions, many parents want to make sure they are receiving appropriate care.  Below is a list of things to expect from a good Speech Pathologist as well as key questions to ask your therapist.

A Good Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) will:

• Hold a  brief conversation with the parent(s) to determine the primary concern of the child.
• Conduct a brief screening with the child to determine the child’s overall communication abilities and whether or not a full evaluation is warranted.
• Take a thorough case history to review developmental and family history of the child, statement of the problem, educational history, social development and any other pertinent information. The SLP will analyze the information gathered to help determine what assessment tools to utilize and whether or not it is appropriate to make additional referrals to related professionals such as a Psychologist, Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, Audiologist, ENT, etc.
• Present the parent with a payment policy, rates for services, cancellation policy, consent to release information and validate whether or not she is in network for the family’s insurance plan.
• Once consent to release information is signed and received, the SLP will contact other professionals that are currently servicing the child and begin collaborating with them regarding goals, test results and progress of the child.

To view more examples of what a good SLP will do, visit what to expect from a good Speech Pathologist on my website.

Questions to ask your Speech Language Pathologist:

• What do you feel my child’s main communication problems are?
• What is the length of time to conduct an evaluation?
• What goals/objectives do you recommend for my child?

To view more questions to ask your SLP, visit what to expect from a good Speech Pathologist on my website.

Elissa Murnick is a licensed, certified Speech Language Pathologist and the owner of Murnick Speech & Language Associates in Fairfield, CT. She has worked for almost 15 years with children of all ages with a wide range of speech and language disorders in a public and private school setting as well as private practice. For more information about scheduling an evaluation visit Murnick Speech & Language Associates on the web at www.murnickspeechandlanguage.com